


Annoying mocha latte

by creativitea



Series: The Round Table - coffeehouse [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Merthur - Freeform, Modern AU, Multi, arthur and gwen friendship, coffeeshop, gwen and merlin friendship, mocha latte
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-07
Updated: 2013-10-12
Packaged: 2017-12-28 17:44:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/994744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creativitea/pseuds/creativitea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin's favourite coffeeshop The Round Table have two baristas that he ends up bonding with. Gwen, the nice one(his favourite), wants to hook him up with this rather douchey barista called Arthur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First few cups

**Author's Note:**

  * For [timegirl10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/timegirl10/gifts).



> This fanfic has a playlist!  
> Totally optional, but it was my inspiration, so it'll help set the mood I was in. :)
> 
> https://8tracks.com/creativitea/annoying-mocha-latte

”Mocha latte, please” Merlin mumbles, searching every goddamn pocket on his outfit for his wallet. “Sorry, didn’t hear you.” The blond barista waits impatiently, barely holding back the comment that he could’ve fucking looked for it while in the fucking queue. Unprepared customers are ok, just not when there’s annoyed customers ready to take their order behind them in the line.  
“Mocha latte, please” the unorganized fool repeats, finally putting his hand down the correct pocket. Another barista arrives at the desk, and takes the next order while Merlin’s paying for his. This barista is nicer, and he quickly realizes it’s that favorite barista of his, Gwen. 

“One mocha Latte.” The grumpy one announces he finished the order, and Merlin picks it up quickly not to piss him off any further. “That’s the guy I told you about.” Merlin overhears Gwen whisper as she passes by the blonde one on the way to the espresso-machine. He decides on a seat nearby and keeps his ears open, but hopefully without making it too obvious.  
“Who? The annoying mocha latte?” the douche says a bit less silent than what he probably was going for, and Merlin can’t help but labeling him as a very stereotypical blonde. The blonde himself doesn’t seem to notice his lack of subtleness, but Gwen does, and she slightly yells at him. He doesn’t regret his seating yet, entertained by the blonde prat being baffled by a kickass sweetie like Gwen. Merlin also picks up that the blonde barista’s name is Arthur. Suits him. He seems like the rich brat kind of guy, and when Merlin remembers the “born to serve you” sewn onto his apron, he realizes the irony in it and is amused. 

When Merlin first peeks over there since taking his seat, there’s no queue left, and their conversation gets less choppy. But after a while of Gwen still not getting to the point, Arthur interrupts her. “Yeah, okay so, what was so special about that guy? I mean… besides the ugly, brown leatherjacket?” Merlin is starting to wonder if he doesn’t realize he didn’t order a coffee to go. Even if he’s not supposed to be listening, he’s still in the same fucking room. Merlin has to take a slightly larger sip this time, just to shut himself up.  
“Arthur! Don’t speak like that around customers, and for that matter; about customers.” She seems more embarrassed over him than annoyed when yelling this time, so Merlin makes an imaginative leap and assumes they’re more than just colleagues.  
“He knows Lance du Lac… PERSONALLY.” Gwen whispers quite loudly, making Merlin take a rather large sip again, this time to keep himself from laughing. Not only is her excitement cute, but it reminds him of when she freaked out when he mentioned it to her. Arthur doesn’t seem impressed, but figures. After all, that kind of rich brats already know their fair share of slightly well-known people. Not that Merlin actually has got it confirmed that he is that kind of guy, but there are just too many stereotypical characteristics to pull any other conclusion.  
Without realizing, Merlin drifts away, and stops paying attention to their conversation. He can still hear them, but his mind is elsewhere. By the time he realizes he isn’t listening, there is no conversation to listen to anymore.  
And the last sip of coffee has gone cold, so he decides to call it a day. It’s almost time for him to meet Freya, anyway.

\--------  
Next time Merlin goes to The round table, there’s nowhere near as many people as last time. As a matter of fact, he’s the only customer. And it seems Gwen is the only barista working, so this time there might be a conversation on the side-menu for Merlin. 

“Mocha latte!” Gwen greets him. “And something to eat, please.” Merlin adds, feeling like his tummy is about to growl out loud anytime now. “And my name is Merlin, I told you last time.” He hopes Mocha latte doesn’t stick with him, as all it makes him think of is that grumpy barista from last time.  
“So how are you? ” She asks with her kind eyes and sincere smile as she hands him the menu.  
“Kinda bad.” And then he points at the thing he wants on the menu. “Donut ask.” Merlin laughs at his own, terrible joke. And Gwen laughs at him, because he’s obviously a major dork. “Those kind of terrible jokes are why I want to set you up with my friend. He’s got worse jokes than you, so I want you to taste your own medicine.” He was waiting for her to add an asshole-comment like ‘ and maybe his dick, too’, but he remembered he was talking to a somewhat classy lady, and not Gwaine the player. 

Merlin was actually pretty interested about the whole deal, before she drops a bomb. “His name is Arthur, by the way.” He recognizes the name, of course. But he can’t act like he does.  
“Oh?” He tries to sound like he’s still interested, but having a believable face to go along with it is the hardest. That’s the reason why he looks out the window for a brief moment, swallowing the grudge for him along with the coffee.  
He obviously doesn’t actually hate him yet, he doesn’t know him yet. But he knows the type. And isn’t all that hyped about spending time with him.

“You actually met him! The barista who served you last time, you know?” She’s getting more excited, remembering they’ve actually met.  
“Oh, the blond, grumpy frat boy?” Merlin couldn’t help himself. Gwen thinks it’s hilarious, anyway, though. “Once you get to know him, he’s actually not that bad.” She defends herself. “He was raised by a snob of a man, and before I came into his life, he wasn’t charming at all.” She sounds really proud of herself, but Merlin was still very doubtful about the whole deal.  
It’s about 4:PM and Merlin is gonna meet Gwen outside the coffee-shop for the first time ever. It feels kinda awkward, really. Yeah, sure, they had become rather friendly over coffee. But what if this ruins it, and breaks the magic between him and his favourite barista? He’s not sure he’s ready for that. Having someone to chat with that doesn’t know him to personally have been very nice, really. Having that authority of always being right as a customer won’t apply anymore, so he can’t use that card in every other argument.

They were gonna meet by some international store, and even though Merlin has been in this area about a thousand times, he’s never really noticed it. But apparently, it’s the best place in town to buy noodles. According to Gwen, at least.  
He considers entering and looking for her, but he ends up half-sitting on a bin while pulling up a cigarette. He isn’t a heavy smoker really, but it’s kind of a good excuse not to go in. If he went inside, he’d just end up spending money he doesn’t have, just because everything is so fucking cheap compared to the supermarket.

Gwen comes out of the store with two bags, but it doesn’t look like it’s all noodles.  
“I might have to steal your scarf.” Is the first thing he tells her. It looks like it’s handknitted, and it’s all huge and snuggly. Even though the colors of the yarn are cold shades, it looks like the warmest piece of clothing on her.  
Merlin puts out the smoke and throws it in the same trashcan he has been leaning on. He’s not gonna finish it anyway. “If you as much as try, I’m gonna strangle you with it.” She replies quickly, and grabs it possessively, even though she probably can tell the lack of seriousness behind Merlin’s threat. 

It’s actually really nice, meeting Gwen in person. Not only is her style the cutest he’s seen on anyone, without becoming cute in an annoying kind of way. It’s just naturally cute, not too flashy or anything. Which is a good way to describe Gwen in general, really. The way her curly hair bounces when they walk, or the way she smiles enthusiastically while they’re window-shopping.  
Merlin likes guys, but if he’d liked girls, Gwen would absolutely have been his type. 

\--------  
Merlin had been a frequent customer before he and Gwen had become friends, but he’s definitely one now. They’d met several times outside the coffee-shop by now, they was even planning to go to the cinema together soon. But there was still this magic atmosphere at The round table, there was still something special about that chat over a few mocha lattes. Merlin had tried ordering some of the other drinks on the menu as well, but mocha latte stayed as his favourite. Even if his nickname was gonna be ‘annoying mocha latte’ whenever Arthur was working.  
Gwen had been right, by the way. Even though the first impression Arthur hadn’t been too far off, and he was kind of a dick, he was nice once you got to know him. Even though he kept insulting Merlin, both directly to him and to Gwen, he still managed to be kind of charming (in a really sneaky way). 

Gwen was slightly annoying about it, though. Not that she kept saying “told you so” or anything like that, but it’s just that badly concealed grin that sneaks onto her face whenever Merlin realizes he does as a matter of fact have kind of a chemistry with the other barista as well. He has actually even stayed for a chat with him a couple of times when Gwen isn’t working.  
Not that they’d been talking about much though. Mostly just argued about domestic things like which of the side-dishes or drinks that were the tastiest, or whether it was better to listen to Gwen’s quirky playlist or the radio. Merlin is stubborn about his favourites, so he always defends the playlist, the chocolate croissant and his beloved mocha latte. 

“There’s just something special about the atmosphere her kind of music makes that goes along with the place.” Merlin nearly knocks over the mocha latte when he smacks the table with his hand. You can tell from Arthur’s eyebrows that he’s judging Merlin for being so passionate about such silly things. He finds it entertaining as well, though. “If you spill it, I’m not making you another one, just making it clear.” He threatens, but not too convincingly. “And don’t you ever get sick of hearing the same songs over and over?” 

“Not if they’re good songs.” Merlin replies quic¬kly. He really is the kind of person who’ll listen to the same album over and over, though. Arthur is obviously more into quantity than quality, in general (probably). “It’s like getting sick of your favourite barista.” Merlin mocks, referring to Gwen, to remind Arthur he isn’t his favourite.  
“And still you’re here, even when I’m the only one at work” Arthur grins with real self-satisfaction while putting that nail in the coffin. Merlin not coming up with a comeback helps his ego as well.  
After some stuttering he finally plops out with “That’s because of the coffee, not you.”, and drinks the last sip to make it clear.  
Arthur grabs the empty cup to give it the third refill of the day. “Yeah, sure, Annoying mocha latte.”


	2. Coffee kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It pisses Arthur off that he enjoys Merlin being annoying. Gwen finally meddles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still think this playlist sets the mood;  
> https://8tracks.com/creativitea/annoying-mocha-latte
> 
> But I also listened a lot to these two while writing(not mine):  
> https://8tracks.com/e11ie/black-tea-latte  
> https://8tracks.com/e11ie/vanilla-cream

“Not happening, Gwen.” Arthur tells her once again. They’re both equally stubborn, unfortunately. “But you’ve been getting along so well.” She argues in a whiny tone. Arthur wants to beg to differ, but that would be untrue. They had been getting along well. “I still don’t take part in anyone’s matchmaking Gwen, you should know by now.” Arthur says and means it.   
He does like Merlin, even if he isn’t that interested in him, but he hates being forced into these kind of things. His dad has already tried matchmaking more than Arthur is comfortable with.  
It’s not that he’s as picky as people assume he is, it’s just that he wants it to be his own choice. And it’s not like he hasn’t dated, obviously. He’s just bored and tired with that setting, and needs a really long break from it. People really should take it as a ground rule not to force love on anyone. Even if it’s in good meaning and not just good business(like his father).

“Could you at least join us at the cinema next time, or something?” Gwen keeps nagging, so Arthur finally gives in. “As long as it’s not a date”  
He doesn’t tell Gwen about it, but he’s actually gonna meet up with Annoying mocha latte later, to help the poor bastard apply to jobs. Even if he doesn’t know him that well just yet, what he’s learned about him from Gwen and the impression he’s given him during their stupid discussions; he seems like he’s got good morals and all. It’s not his attitude that’s the problem (at least when it comes to applying for jobs), it’s more about him being a clumsy and awkward idiot that makes him look unprofessional, Arthur believes. But that’s where he comes in.   
At least for this episode of ‘Pimp your Merlin’. He’s not sure if he wants to become a regular on that show, yet.   
\-----------------------------

“Did you bring your CV?” Ironically, Arthur sounds more professional now than when he’s been talking to Merlin at work. Maybe it’s because he takes guiding people more seriously than he does serving people. He really believes in that saying that if you give a man a fishing pole and teach him how to fish is more efficient than just giving him the fish. It won’t only keep him fed, but it’ll give him way more motivation to keep himself fed.   
Arthur knows that from experience. He grew up getting everything on a silver plate, but he never really understood the value of enjoying a meal until he knew the effort behind it. And even though he absolutely isn’t complaining about having a familytree that brought him all the goods, he gets a much bigger fulfillment by proving himself that he’s not useless. And unlike his old man, he doesn’t relate that to amount of power over people, he’s much more interested in the power of and in people.  
So to sum it up; being a barista isn’t exactly his main careergoal, it’s more a way to get ahead. On his own.  
“Yeah, you made it quite clear it was more important I brought that than it was I brought myself.” Merlin actually didn’t have to rush through his whole goddamn bag to find it, Arthur is slightly impressed. “Pretty much.” he grins back.   
Merlin is one of the few people who doesn’t take him as seriously as he tries to be taken, but he still doesn’t hate it. Unexpectedly, he actually gets more satisfaction by being knocked off his high horse by losers like him than getting praised by people that apparently matter more than other people.   
Feels more real, in a way.

Arthur skims down the paper. A very basic, uninteresting CV, as expected. He has qualifications that’s very valuable, and it’s honest, but it’s boring and messy. Merlin isn’t really lacking anything personally, but it’s just poorly executed and organized. “Do you have a pen or something?”Arthur looks up at him, being kind of annoyed when realizing Merlin has been reading over his shoulder. He should’ve read it already, for god’s sake.   
“Preferably a red one, I presume?” Merlin mocks him, and while he looks through his bag, this time having to go through the whole damn thing(he deserves it when his being this sassy, honestly), and Arthur keeps back the urge to call him a dickhead.   
\-----------------------------

Arthur looks at his goddamned rolex(gift from his father, probably just to remind him his worth is purely material), and once again wants to call Merlin a dickhead for making him waste three whole hours on him. He kind of mumbles it into his scarf, but the only thing that makes it noticeable for anyone else is a tiny amount of frost-smoke.   
He notices his pocket vibrating and spilling out guitarnoises, and grunts over having to remove his mittens and freeze his fingers off just for the sake of answering a fucking phonecall. But thanks to his upperclass upbringing, he’s too polite not to do it. He might have ignored it if it was Merlin though, even if only just to be an ass just because he could.   
Sure, he’d been talking shit about him in the beginning because he was pissing him off by being an annoying customer, but at this point being rude was more of a stressrelease or something. It was actually kinda nice to have someone who didn’t take him literary and took things personally, for once.  
“Hello? Arthur Pendragon speaking.” Arthur says with a lot of articulation, and tries not to grind his teeth from the cold (at least not too loudly).  
“Seriously, it stills freaks me out when you speak this formally.” Gwen laughs at him. He clears his throat, as if he’s shaking the formality off. “How’s your day been?” She asks caringly, like always.

He still doesn’t really want to tell her about meeting up with Merlin, and even though he realizes how idiotic it is to keep it a secret that he corrected his CV and taught him about professional bodylanguage, he ends up just replying with an “Uh..”  
She laughs warmly, knowing that’s the only reply she’s gonna get out of him. “But yeah, I called about taking you and Merlin to the cinema this Friday. Are you gonna be available for that, or what?” He hadn’t been expecting her to put that into motion this quickly, but he should have expected this much. She’s always been an impatient shipper, both in real life and with fictional people. Unintentionally, he lets out a heavy sigh, realizing he’s doomed to at least giving Merlin a chance.   
“As long as you don’t pull one of your tricks and bail out yourself to make it a date.” He nags her. “Don’t be such a baby!” She yells at him, and he lets out another sigh.   
“No, but I actually really want to watch this movie, but I’ll make sure you two sit together, don’t worry.” She’s laughing again. But Arthur still know she means it.   
\-----------------------------

Arthur and Merlin hasn’t argued at all the last few days, and even though Gwen won’t stop asking what’s going on, wearing that huge grin on her face again. But Arthur ain’t gonna tell her shit. He’s not gonna hate Merlin if he explains, but he’s suspecting Merlin is prioritizing his feelings on this issue, and it kind of makes his insides fuzzy. But that revelation he ain’t even gonna admit to himself. 

The thing that happened, was that Arthur kept meeting up with Merlin, not only that Tuesday, but also Wednesday and Thursday. They were already pretty close friends at that point, thanks to Gwen and Merlin’s annoying mocha latte, so becoming even closer happened quite quickly. Neither of them really bothered to be hesitant about it.   
So since they already had seats a couple of rows behind Gwen, and it was pretty dark, and the sound effects were loud; they kind of ended up paying less attention to the movie, and a bit more attention to making out. The movie wasn’t even particularly romantic or anything, but it just kind of happened when they both were holding hands and looking at each other’s lips lustfully.  
Arthur had at first been kind of convinced they’d just conveniently both been horny at the same time, but he’d changed his mind while drinking a fucking mocha latte when he was supposed to make himself an Americano. He’d even fucking enjoyed it. Both the kissing and the coffee.  
He couldn’t even keep himself from watching a movie he didn’t like on a fucking Saturday night just to hang out with that loser. Which of course had made him fall asleep on the couch, and of course Merlin had been nice enough to put an itchy blanket over him.  
Which was Merlin in a nutshell, really; cozy and annoying.   
It still annoys Arthur that Merlin makes him come up with cheesy metaophores like that to describe him. He’s not supposed to be thinking about him.  
Not because he’s not out of the closet or anything like that, though. Because he doesn’t want Gwen to be right, and he thought he had higher standards. Merlin’s just an unemployed, coffee-addicted nerd, Arthur had expected to end up with someone a bit more like himself. But then again, maybe he’s not actually that narcissistic.

 

“You’re kind of an ass, you know?” Merlin had been waiting for him outside, not dressed well enough for the cold, so Arthur doesn’t really blame him for being grumpy. “I had to stand outside for 30 minutes just because you don’t want Gwen to know” He lets go of Arthur’s hand and looks to the whole goddamn bag to find the keys to his apartment. Arthur points to that same pocket he always puts it in, but still forgets where it is, so he thinks to himself that he needs to tell Merlin to stop being such a dumbass. “You can break up with me if you hate it that much.”  
Merlin just laughs, even though Arthur wasn’t actually joking. “Nah, I’m still silly enough to believe you’ll eventually love me more than your own ego.”   
He finds the key, and finally unlocks the door. “And besides, I’m too cold right now to chase away my snugglebuddy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS GIFSET JUST EXPLAINS GWEN AND ARTHUR'S FRIENDSHIP IN THIS AU TOO WELL NOT TO SHARE  
> http://shipeveryonewithsomeone.tumblr.com/post/63463020930 (not my tumblr!)
> 
> Guess who's who!


	3. Red scarf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin has to be patient, but worries whether it's worth it or not.

Merlin just finished three jobinterviews, and he figures out he might as well go to The Round Table again, merely out of habit by now. He’s not even sure he wants coffee.  
He has seen Arthur’s timetable briefly, but he doesn’t even bother trying to remember if he’s the one on duty today. Gwen is the better barista, after all. And he kind of needs the conversation more than the coffee, honestly.  
And he is at luck, Gwen’s the only one at work at the moment. However, she’s really busy with customers and all, so Merlin cleans some tables instead of ordering to help her out a bit. Which he absolutely doesn’t mind. He’s been helping out before, so he knows what to do. And keeping himself busy seems more tempting than just sitting around waiting for her to be less busy. If two carries the burden, that speeds the process too. Gwen thanks him about a thousand times.  
When there’s finally less of a rush, Merlin sits down by the usual spot, on that seat by the counter. There’s three barstools lined up, but Merlin rarely sees anyone else use them when he’s around, unless it’s really full.  
“You went to job interviews today, right?” She checks up on him while wiping the espressomachines clean (they’re on a counter close-by to where he sits. He nods, but since’s she’s busy, he adds a “yes.”  
“You sound tired.” She looks at him, slightly concerned. But she quickly tries to lighten the mood. “Is it only because of the jobhunt, or is Arthur being a crappy boyfriend.”

“Both…” Merlin sighs, before realizing what she actually just said. “Wait… Arthur told you?”  
“No.” Gwen snorts, trying not to laugh. “He didn’t have to.”  
Merlin is still kind of confused, and Gwen can tell. “You’re not as sneaky as you think you are, honey.”  
Merlin doesn’t even want to figure out a comeback, so he just takes the longest sip of coffee ever.  
“You know, I can recognize Arthur’s sighs and your groans even if you sit two rows behind me. I’ve heard you enjoy baked goods before, you know.” Merlin furrows his brows and glares at her with a hint of a grin on his face. “Are you implying I was eating Arthur?”  
“Yes, I am. Like a goddamn chocolate crossaint.”  
\---------------------------------

The rest of the week is pretty busy for both Arthur and Merlin, and Merlin is really just too tired to even go to the coffeeshop. And he’s kind of tired of being the one to invite him over all the time, so he decides not to call him first for once. He concludes it’s probably for the best not to be too clingy.  
But early Sunday afternoon, a text ticks in.  
\- How was your week?  
from Arthur. And even though he’s trying to sound apathic, Merlin gets flattered that he actually takes the initiative to talk.

\- Stressing. Yours?  
He puts the phone away, kind of expecting Arthur not to reply instantly, but is proven wrong when the phone buzzes the moment after he drops it on the table where he’s resting his feet.  
\- Annoying.  
\- Your fault.  
\- You barely saw me this week, Arthur.  
\- Exactly.

His toes start wiggling, a bit out of control, and he digs himself further into the cushions on in the couch he’s been stuck in all morning. He kind of wants to wiggle himself out of his pajamas as well, and pop by Arthur’s apartment, but he stays stubborn about not being too clingy. It’s not his pride or anything, he couldn’t care less about that. But watching Arthur’s not so subtly admitting he’s more than needy than he wants to be is simply just too cute, so he’s gonna leave him pining just a bit more.  
There’s a brief moment he kind of feels bad about it, but he knows Arthur has been asking for more from him than he’s asked for, so he lets it go. It’s not debt or anything though, it just works as a good excuse for teasing him a bit more. And after a short while, he receives another text from Arthur.  
\- Do you want to go for a walk?  
Before Merlin is finished typing out a ‘Sure’ after checking the weather, he gets one more text.  
\- I’ll bring coffee.  
Merlin smiles, getting excited.  
\- Make it decaf or tea, if you don’t mind.  
\- I don’t mind. I’ll call you when I’m 10 min from the park.  
\- Ok.  
\---------------------------------

They walk aimlessly for a while without really paying attention to anything at all. Merlin only put on his ragged, brown leatherjacket(the one Arthur hates), and a beanie that’s too big for him. Arthur had mocked him with “Well, at least they cover your ears.” And Merlin huffed and drove an elbow into his side. Arthur could tell that Merlin was saying “fuck you”, even though he didn’t actually say the words.  
Not only are they walking hand in hand, but they’re sharing one of the mittens Arthur is wearing, and Merlin keeps the other hand in his pocket. And at one point, Arthur just can’t help himself, and puts his big, fluffy scarf around Merlin’s neck. Even though it’s one of his favourite scarves, he tells Merlin to keep it because he suits red.  
Surprisingly, they stay silent for quite a long time. Not because of awkwardness though, but they just don’t feel the need to talk.  
“By the way…” Merlin breaks the silence. “Gwen apparently saw us during that movie we didn’t watch, so even if you still don’t want to talk to her about it, can we at least stop the sneaking around?”

Arthur takes a deep breath to let out a bigger sigh, and quietly nods.  
Merlin hugs him comfortingly, knowing Arthur hates the idea of giving in. But there’s really no use going around making it awkward when he’s already more than lost the argument.  
_______________________________________

If Merlin is the annoying one of them, Arthur is certainly the frustrating one.  
Merlin wants him to make some kind of move on him beyond just sharing food, drinks and saliva.  
Either that he actually calls him his boyfriend(he’s pretty sure they are, but it hasn’t really been said), or that he at least somehow confirms that he wants to get into bed with him. Yes, the affection and attention right now is nice and all, but they’re both grown ups, and sneaking and flirting around without going anywhere just feels like being a teen all over. He doesn’t mind waiting if Arthur needs time (though he doesn’t seem like the type, but there’s more to a book than it’s cover after all.), but he doesn’t want to wait for nothing. And usually, he would just make a move himself, instead of feeling 17 years old . But since he’s the annoying one, he really doesn’t want to be the one to bring it up. But maybe he’s just being too stubborn.

He looks at Arthur who’s on the opposite side of the sofa, and nudges him with his bare feet. “Cold feet.” He whines, eyeing Arthur down with puppyeyes.  
“About?” Arthur tries to be funny, but since he’s indirectly asks, Merlin indirectly answers. “They’re lonely.”  
“Put socks on them.”Arthur doesn’t seem to quite get it, but it’s still cute that he takes off his own socks for Merlin to put them on. “I’m not a charity case, though.” He nags him a bit.  
“Your socks are still wet and my feet are warm enough.”

Arthur looks kind of concerned for some reason. He changes position and looks at him. “Little spoon?” He points where he wants Merlin to lay down. But he shakes his head. “Big spoon.”Arthur scooches, and Merlin wraps himself around him. Satisfied with the moment, he decides to worry less about getting laid and just waits for it to happen naturally. Even if he does want Arthur, he doesn’t want to rush him. It’s only been a bit more than week of this, after all. No reason to be impatient.  
_______________________________________  
  
  
“How’s Arthur’s history with dating?” Merlin swirls the spoon the same way he usually swirls pens and shares his frustration with Gwen. She seems uncomfortable with answering this one. “I think it’s better if you two have that conversation.”  
“I just want to know if there’s a way to find out if he’s serious about me or not.” She smiles a bit, as if she’s relieved.  
“Let’s just put it this way, even though he’s an ass about it, he came to you even though he was determined not to do it just because I wanted him to.”  
“I’m just worried I’m not that tempting now that I’m not forbidden fruit anymore.” Merlin mumbles, as if he doesn’t actually want her to hear it. But she does, she always listens well.  
“That was never the case. He’s just hesistant because he’s tasted forbidden fruit before; and it ended badly. But that’s all you’re gonna hear from me, ok?” The last bit was spoken extra clearly.  
“Why did you want to hook us up, anyway?” Merlin is struck by a sudden curiousity. Gwen’s eye wander around the room, like her mind is doing the same. Then, she smiles slightly, finally having found the right words. “Originally it was just because I just saw a potential chemistry, and wanted to see it with my own eyes. But at this point, I’m starting to see how you’ll be very good for each other. If you just get through this stage, I believe you’ll last.” And it actually comforted him, if even just a little.  
\---------------------------------

Merlin stays patient the next few weeks, rather appreciating the affection Arthur gives him than trying to hint towards anything more. Arthur probably has more of a need of being in control of the situation than he does himself, Merlin concludes. Sure, he’d prefer knowing what goes on in his mind, but he’s really taken note of what he and Gwen talked about.  
The last few times they’d been snogging, Arthur has even let his hands wander a bit. That’s more than enough, really. All Merlin had needed was a sign that he hasn’t just become unattractive to him or something. And the way Arthur touched him was shy, but not unaffectionate.  
He never expected Arthur to be this vulnerable man, really. But Merlin is starting to admire how complex he is, by seeing this side of him. But he of course prefers seeing Arthur confident, even though the less confident side was what made him respect him more profoundly.

At one point, they’d been on the topic of exes, even. First, Arthur told him about his first gay crush, and he was all cute and lit up while talking about it. He then talked about some girls he’d gone out with, because his dad had tried to hook him up with girls he thought was economically good matches for him. “It just felt disrespectful to both me and the girls. I didn’t want to dismiss them like I did, but this happened in a period I was still kind of insecure about my sexuality.” The resentment in Arthur’s voice told Merlin his father had known, and though he tried not to decide his first impression based on Arthur’s issues with him, it was very hard not to be at least just a bit angry with him.  
He then mentioned a guy named Mordred, but he didn’t go into details, and changed the topic. “Gwen actually tried to hit on me in the beginning of our friendship.” They laughed a bit over it, Merlin told him about his ex; Will, and that was the end of that conversation.

And for the third time this week, he’s gonna spend the night. He doesn’t expect any action or anything, but just having Arthur’s soft arms as a second pillow is way more than he would even ask for.  
_______________________________________  
  
It’s just another day at the coffeeshop, and both Gwen and Arthur are on duty. It’s sunny, and there’s enough customers, but it’s not too crowdy or stressed. Gwen and Arthur are efficient together, both considerate and constructive towards each others as a team, and if Arthur was straight, they would’ve been a lovely couple. But Merlin is glad he isn’t, of course. That makes room for him to be with them. And they both fit in with his other friends, too.  
He’d never exchange his seat here for anything, it has become like a second home.

“You should’ve just made Merlin apply to this job, we need another barista now that Elyan quit.” Gwen suggests. “You’re really quick to replace your own brother. That’s not very loyal of you.” Arthur mocks her, and hands her the cup in the size she needs for the order she’s working on, and goes back to wash the rest of the cups.  
“But he’s helping out with cleaning, and I swear the sale on our baked goods has improved after he’s been nagging every other customer to try them.”Gwen argues. She’s just as stubborn as Arthur, after all.

“Hey, I shouldn’t make him become sick of me just yet.” Merlin adds. Arthur laughs more than Gwen, but less obviously. “He’s got a point.” The dishwashing gloves make a loud noise as Arthur rips them off his hands, at the same time as he says ‘point’.  
Gwen glares at them both, first Merlin, then Arthur. “I’m glad you’ve gotten past your idiotic arguments, but I’m not sure I like having both of you teaming up on me.” They both laugh roaringly at her.  
“You’re just grumpy because you’re still single!” Arthur mocks her. She almost gives him the finger, but the fact that she was at work stops her.“Find me a guy, then!”  
“What about Gwaine?” Merlin suggests, remembering they had gotten along quite well last time they met. “Well… he’s attractive, but he’s a bit too annoying for me, honestly.”  
“That’s my friend you’re talking about!”Merlin is naturally defensive of his friends, but he can’t really argue with it.  
“Yeah, listen to my annoying mocha latte.” Arthur teases. Gwen ends up freaking out over the ‘my’ he added, and they both roll their eyes at her.  
Merlin is going to leave soon, he’s currently at his last cup for today. Arthur even says he’s not gonna give him more coffee, cause it just makes his stomach growl at night.”Plus, you stay awake way too long. I can’t sleep when you keep staring at my face.” Gwen is dying of her happiness for them, once again.  
  


But very suddenly, Arthur’s happy face changes drastically. Merlin and Gwen both look defensively in the direction Arthur does, and Gwen understands what’s going on, but Merlin doesn’t. The people they’re looking at, seem dark and cold to a degree that freaks Merlin out a bit. They’re not even dressed in that dark clothing, they just give off an awful vibe. And Merlin doesn’t usually judge that strongly this quickly.

The woman shares some of the same features as Arthur, but her locks are dark and curly, in contrast to Arthur’s blond and straight hair. But still, Merlin suspects they’re related. They’re equally attractive, if seen objectively. (Merlin did not)  
The man speaks up first. “It’s been a long time, Arthur.” He smiles at him, but he looks more twisted than friendly. And he is. “But you haven’t gotten over me yet, have you?” he says, looking falsely concerned at him. This must be Mordred, Merlin figures.  
“That’s not nice.” The woman nudges him, and as their bodylanguage tells they’re close.

Merlin looks at Gwen, who looks pissed. He can relate to that. He then looks at Arthur, who looks more vulnerable than ever, and he wants to just hold him. But he’s frozen in his seat.  
“Order or get out, you’re not welcome here.” Gwen hisses. She never treats anyone, especially customers, with this attitude.  
“I have as much right as you to be here” the woman doesn’t even bat an eyelid, and Merlin is definitely intimidated by seeing Gwen like this.  
“Get the fuck out.” Gwen repeats aggressively. Arthur doesn’t even look at them, he doesn’t even move. Merlin has never seen him like this. He looks around, and luckily, there are barely any customers in here right now. And the ones who are, have their ears plugged by headphones, and are busy either reading or writing.

“We just want to know how Arthur’s doing.” The woman says, but she doesn’t seem to want to know because she cares. If Merlin isn’t completely wrong, she’s trying to lurk out information for personal gain. He can’t stand her, at all.  
“He’s happily in love, not mourning over you assholes, if that was what you wanted to hear.” Gwen luckily knows just what to tell them. Arthur just looks hurt, and Merlin doesn’t even get the situation fully.

“Oh? Really? Who’s the lucky guy?” The guy Merlin believes is Mordred doesn’t look convinced. Merlin’s had enough.

“I am.” He says without hesitation, and doesn’t even give a fuck that the way they judgementally stare at him before leaving.  
\---------------------------------

Merlin stays until Arthur is ready to leave, Gwen says she’ll handle the last bit. He feels leaving it all to her, but she seems to want him to comfort Arthur, and that’s what he intends to do.

They don’t speak at all on the way home, but Merlin pays close attention to him and holds his hand firmly. That red scarf that became his, is now wrapped around Arthur’s neck, and he’s hiding his face in it.

When they’re back home, sitting on Arthur’s bed, he finally opens up. Explains to connect the dots.  
“The woman is my sister, Morgana.” He begins. “Half sister.” He corrects himself.  
“And the guy is Mordred. My first real boyfriend. Who cheated on me. With my sister.” Arthur takes deep breaths between each sentence, it’s obviously hard to talk about.  
“Half sister.” Merlin corrects, like she doesn’t deserved being called his sister. He rubs Arthur’s hair, not really sure how to comfort him. Tries to move a bit closer.

 

“Are you ok?” Merlin feels stupid for asking, because he obviously isn’t.  
“Is there anything I can do?” He hates being unable to do the right things without asking what they are. But it’s better than doing something triggering.  
“Just hold me.” Arthur can’t hold back his tears anymore. “Please.”

Merlin moves from sitting beside him to sitting in front of him, and wraps both his legs and one arm around him. The other hand he uses to stroke his hair and dry his tears.

 

When he’s stopped crying, Merlin kisses him. Arthur kisses him back, thankfully. They keep exchanging kisses for a while, and Arthur eventually lay down. Merlin makes sure not to be all over him, but they keep exchanging affectionate kisses.  
Merlin eventually sits up, and gestures that he wants to take his shirt off, but doesn’t without permission. Arthur helps him unbutton it.

“Tell me to stop anytime, if you’re not ready.” Merlin tells him. “I don’t want to take advantage of you.”  
Arthur drops the shirt on the floor, and kisses Merlin’s neck. “I know you wouldn’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CLIFFHANGERS, YAY!
> 
> The next chapter will be co-written by my good friend Rory(Timegirl10), it's gonna be great, I'm sure :)  
> I'm very excited about reading her part. ~


End file.
